Quran
The final revelation from Allah (Most High). Every word of the Holy Quran is preserved and is
undoubtedly the speech of Allah (Most High). To deny a single word would render one a
Kafir (disbeliever).
It is the greatest and strongest source of law and guidance in Islam. All Muslims recognise
this fact. However, there is sometimes room for difference in interpretation and application.
In such cases, we defer to classical scholars and do not accept the interpretation of any and
all scholars.
Hadith
Hadith refers to narrations that mention the actions, speech and descriptions of the blessed
Prophet ﷺ. One of the first concerns a scholar has when looking at Hadith narrations is
that of authenticity. Before using or quoting a Hadith, authenticity must be established. This
is not a concern with the Holy Quran, since it is entirely authentic.
All Sunni scholars accept the authentic Sunnah as a source of law and guidance. However,
interpretation and application does differ at times. Once again, we do not open the doors of
interpretation to any and every scholar. Rather we limit it to classical scholars unless a
contemporary matter is being discussed.
Classical Scholars
This term is used to refer to scholars that have acceptance with all Sunni Muslims. As
opposed to scholars that are considered authoritative by a particular group alone. Referring
back to classical scholars is a great means of bringing unity to the Ummah. If we are united
in who we consider authoritative then we can eradicate some of the extreme sectarian
views that endure in our communities.
